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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Nov 15, 2019 14:22:48 GMT
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Post by kds on Nov 15, 2019 14:23:48 GMT
I can confirm the second greatest hits album with the same cover (in different colors) existed. So you’re not crazy. (Or at least, if you are, it’s not about that.) Yes, the Classic Queen comp has a dark blue cover with the Queen royal seal logo, and the companion comp was titled Queen Greatest Hits with a burgundy cover and the same royal seal logo. This Queen Greatest Hits comp that was released by Hollywood records in 1992 if different to the Greatest Hit comp released in the UK in 1981. Just to add some confusion, in the mid to late 90s, the UK comps Greatest Hits and Greatest Hits II were released in the States with a very similar cover as the US Classic Queen / Queen Greatest Hits comps from 1992.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Queen
Nov 15, 2019 14:36:34 GMT
Post by bellbottoms on Nov 15, 2019 14:36:34 GMT
I can confirm the second greatest hits album with the same cover (in different colors) existed. So you’re not crazy. (Or at least, if you are, it’s not about that.) Thanks for the verification! Edit - yeah looking at the images from Sheriff above, I very much remember the blue one with the words Classic Queen and the red one with the words Classic Queen II. Very confusing indeed.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Queen
Nov 15, 2019 17:25:47 GMT
Post by bellbottoms on Nov 15, 2019 17:25:47 GMT
I can confirm the second greatest hits album with the same cover (in different colors) existed. So you’re not crazy. (Or at least, if you are, it’s not about that.) Thanks for the verification! Edit - yeah looking at the images from Sheriff above, I very much remember the blue one with the words Classic Queen and the red one with the words Classic Queen II. Very confusing indeed. LOL this is bugging me. Clearly what I had was the blue Classic Queen comp and the burgundy Greatest Hits comp from 1992.
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Queen
Nov 15, 2019 17:28:18 GMT
Post by kds on Nov 15, 2019 17:28:18 GMT
Thanks for the verification! Edit - yeah looking at the images from Sheriff above, I very much remember the blue one with the words Classic Queen and the red one with the words Classic Queen II. Very confusing indeed. LOL this is bugging me. Clearly what I had was the blue Classic Queen comp and the burgundy Greatest Hits comp from 1992. That's what I had, and I also wound up getting both of them on CD later. Then, I wound up getting the UK Greatest Hits I and II because I'd bought Greatest Hits + III because it had a couple unreleased tracks, and I didn't like having Volume III, but not I & II.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Queen
Nov 15, 2019 17:36:24 GMT
Post by bellbottoms on Nov 15, 2019 17:36:24 GMT
LOL this is bugging me. Clearly what I had was the blue Classic Queen comp and the burgundy Greatest Hits comp from 1992. That's what I had, and I also wound up getting both of them on CD later. Then, I wound up getting the UK Greatest Hits I and II because I'd bought Greatest Hits + III because it had a couple unreleased tracks, and I didn't like having Volume III, but not I & II. I really have no need for any of the hits comps now that I have the full studio catalogue (except for Made in Heaven) and the 1981 greatest hits on vinyl, but I am nostalgic for those cassettes I had in the 90s. If I encountered them on CD for cheap, I’d probably pick them up. Speaking of Queen vinyl and back to the subject of Innuendo, I was pretty disappointed with the Innuendo vinyl. If you want the album in its original track order, you end up with shortened versions of some of the songs. The alternative was to have everything, unedited, on double vinyl, but the songs are in the wrong order. Between the two, I chose the single vinyl, and was extremely disappointed to find the removal of the beautiful percussion intro to These Are the Days of Our Lives.
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Queen
Nov 15, 2019 17:50:02 GMT
Post by kds on Nov 15, 2019 17:50:02 GMT
That's what I had, and I also wound up getting both of them on CD later. Then, I wound up getting the UK Greatest Hits I and II because I'd bought Greatest Hits + III because it had a couple unreleased tracks, and I didn't like having Volume III, but not I & II. I really have no need for any of the hits comps now that I have the full studio catalogue (except for Made in Heaven) and the 1981 greatest hits on vinyl, but I am nostalgic for those cassettes I had in the 90s. If I encountered them on CD for cheap, I’d probably pick them up. Speaking of Queen vinyl and back to the subject of Innuendo, I was pretty disappointed with the Innuendo vinyl. If you want the album in its original track order, you end up with shortened versions of some of the songs. The alternative was to have everything, unedited, on double vinyl, but the songs are in the wrong order. Between the two, I chose the single vinyl, and was extremely disappointed to find the removal of the beautiful percussion intro to These Are the Days of Our Lives. I wound up buying those 1992 comps on CD for nostalgia, and to have the single versions of I Want to Break Free, I Want It All, and The Miracle, which I actually prefer to the album versions. Wow, apparently, the original vinyl album of Innuendo is seven minutes shorter than the CD.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Queen
Nov 15, 2019 19:20:49 GMT
Post by bellbottoms on Nov 15, 2019 19:20:49 GMT
Wow, apparently, the original vinyl album of Innuendo is seven minutes shorter than the CD. Jeez, is it that much? I definitely noticed multiple tracks had been edited down, but “Days of Our Lives” stood out to me because the intro sets the mood perfectly, and having it begin with Freddie singing “Sometimes I get to feeling…” out of the blue just sounds strange.
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Queen
Nov 15, 2019 19:30:52 GMT
Post by kds on Nov 15, 2019 19:30:52 GMT
Wow, apparently, the original vinyl album of Innuendo is seven minutes shorter than the CD. Jeez, is it that much? I definitely noticed multiple tracks had been edited down, but “Days of Our Lives” stood out to me because the intro sets the mood perfectly, and having it begin with Freddie singing “Sometimes I get to feeling…” out of the blue just sounds strange. Usually, in those days, a song might get cut for the vinyl version, kinda like Male Ego on BB 85.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Queen
Nov 15, 2019 23:03:27 GMT
Post by bellbottoms on Nov 15, 2019 23:03:27 GMT
Jeez, is it that much? I definitely noticed multiple tracks had been edited down, but “Days of Our Lives” stood out to me because the intro sets the mood perfectly, and having it begin with Freddie singing “Sometimes I get to feeling…” out of the blue just sounds strange. Usually, in those days, a song might get cut for the vinyl version, kinda like Male Ego on BB 85. Hmm, yeah. I think I can see why they wouldn't want to cut any tracks off Innuendo for the vinyl version though. How do you ask Freddie Mercury, in the devastating state that he was in, if Delilah can be dropped? My guess is, the answer is, you don't.
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Queen
Nov 15, 2019 23:54:13 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Nov 15, 2019 23:54:13 GMT
Was Innuendo released on vinyl during Freddie's lifetime? I'd be a little surprised, considering the era. Vinyl was something of an afterthought, I thought.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Queen
Nov 16, 2019 1:37:19 GMT
Post by bellbottoms on Nov 16, 2019 1:37:19 GMT
Was Innuendo released on vinyl during Freddie's lifetime? I'd be a little surprised, considering the era. Vinyl was something of an afterthought, I thought. Discogs says yep, there was a 1991 vinyl release, though just in the UK, it appears.
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Queen
Nov 18, 2019 13:43:36 GMT
Post by kds on Nov 18, 2019 13:43:36 GMT
MADE IN HEAVEN (1995)
In early 1991, Freddie Mercury, knowing he was on borrowed time, wanted to record as much music as possible so that Queen could continue to release music after his death. These sessions yielded the vocals for three songs before Freddie was physically unable to do anymore.
So, Brian, Roger, and John wanted to fulfill Freddie's wish for a final Queen album, but only had three songs to use. So, they took vocals from solo projects, unreleased Queen songs, and even soundchecks ranging from 1980-1991 and added music to them in order to cobble together a full album. On paper, this sounds like a mess. But, the final results are surprisingly good, even if it makes for a very disjointed listen.
Some of the highlights include the Queen take on the Freddie solo song Made in Heaven. I was skeptical at first, but the moment that Brian May guitar comes in, I remember thinking, "By God, it's a Queen song now." There's also the album's only real attempt at a rocker, the Queen version of Freddie's I Was Born to Love You. Nice version, even if the "ha ha ha, it's magic" clip from A Kind of Magic's title track feels really unnecessary. For me, the album's best song is Mother Love, featuring Freddie's final vocals. Brian May had to sing the final verse since Freddie never returned to complete the song. I feel that song, with the Freddie collage at the end, should have been the album closer.
A Winter's Tale, one of the other songs from Freddie's final sessions, is a cozy almost Christmas song, even though the holiday is never specifically mentioned in the song, it would fit nicely on a yuletide playlist.
Too Much Love Will Kill You dates back to the late 80s, and Brian May had already released a solo version. Of course, this definite version with Freddie on vocals is far superior.
You Don't Fool Me is the other song from Freddie's final sessions, but is more of a dance track. When I first heard it, I thought it might've been a holdover from the early 80s, but that's not the case.
Let Me Live and My Life Has Been Saved are OK songs. It's a Beautiful Day provides a nice intro to the album.
The album closes, somewhat oddly, with a 23 minute soundscape. Previously untitled, it's taken the name Track 13 or simply "13." It's incredibly tedious, and a one of the worst examples of artists trying to hard in the 90s to use that extra space that CDs afforded.
This was the only Queen album I experienced in real time. But, other than a few tracks, I rarely listen to it. Given the circumstances, it's better than it had any right to be. And, while Innuendo would've been a far better finale to a brilliant career, I believe we're better for the existence of Made in Heaven than we would me if these songs just sat around, waiting to be released piecemeal on various compilations.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Queen
Nov 18, 2019 15:14:55 GMT
Post by bellbottoms on Nov 18, 2019 15:14:55 GMT
Apart from the long-ass ambient track at the end, I enjoy Made in Heaven quite a bit. It really is better than expected. I’m probably prone to injecting emotions into music more than is healthy but it does tend to be a wistful listen for me, as I think about the circumstances behind its assemblage.
I think the surviving members of Queen did a fantastic job of making it sound like a Queen album, while keeping the focus on Freddie and not trying to steal any moments away from him. I haven’t spent very much time trying to listen to the other versions of the songs that pre-existed this album, so my review won’t really get into comparisons.
I’m aware that It’s a Beautiful Day was conceived in the early 80s but it sounds like it was meant for this album – a perfect opener and “closing” reprise (when I listen to this album, I just omit the last track as I’m sure many people do).
There are quite a few standouts on this album, surprisingly – the only one that I don’t really think fits the vibe is You Don’t Fool Me.
My absolute favourites are…
Made in Heaven - the intro hits me on the melon immediately and gives me that YES, this is a Queen song feeling
Mother Love - I love almost everything about this song, especially the killer chorus – and the moment where Brian May finishes the vocals… and then the Freddie montage… just wow. But I could really do without the crying baby at the end. I get it, I just don’t think it was necessary.
A Winter’s Tale – Freddie wouldn’t see another Christmas. That’s all I have to say about this song without getting choked up.
I Was Born to Love You, Too Much Love Will Kill You, Heaven for Everyone, Let Me Live and My Life Has Been Saved are all wonderful as well. The quality is so high I can’t really find fault with anything.
As much as Innuendo could have stood on its own as their final album, I do think Made in Heaven had to happen and I'm glad we have it. There is a lot to love on it.
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Queen
Nov 18, 2019 15:26:52 GMT
via mobile
Post by Kapitan on Nov 18, 2019 15:26:52 GMT
Just dropping in to say I want to relisten before I write about this one—it’s been forever!—but I’m sure I’ll post this evening.
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